If the 2020 MLB season ever gets started, there will be some changes to the normal routine. The details are still being negotiated, but one possibility includes a universal DH.
It’s seemed inevitable for a while that the NL would eventually join the AL in adopting the designated hitter, with the only question being when, and now would be as good a time as any to give it a try. One proposed version of the 2020 season would have the AL and NL remain intact in the standings, but with teams playing against just their geographic divisions — so, the A’s would play against AL West and NL West opponents.